February 15, 2020; Chicago, IL, USA; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the NBA All-Star Game press conference held at the United Center on Saturday night.Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA in-season tournament adds some excitement to the early part of the regular season. However, the debut game also came with a side effect that made some stars uncomfortable.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo have both expressed concerns about the points differential affecting the tournament standings.
Point differential is the tiebreaker between any teams tied in the in-season tournament standings. It motivates teams to try to extend their lead when the outcome of the game is all but decided.
“As for the point differential thing, I’m not the biggest fan of it,” Tatum said when asked about the game during Sunday’s postgame press conference. “The game was over last Friday and guys were still trying to score points and you know, it’s all about respecting the game and respecting your opponent.”
Jayson Tatum talks about #NBAIn-Season Championships:
“The point differential thing, I’m not the biggest fan of it…The game was over last Friday and guys were still trying to score points and, you know, it’s all about respecting the game and respecting your opponent.” ….. pic.twitter.com/SyPqPTUNgC
— Celtics talk CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) November 27, 2023
Adebayo expressed a similar sentiment just hours before the Heat’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. The Heat star said the point spread factor has compromised the integrity of the sport.
Bam Adebayo on importance of in-season tournament margin: ‘That’s something I’ve seen a lot of people disagree with, because if you’re up 15 points and you want to win in 40 seconds To get a point differential, it takes away the integrity of the game.”
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) November 28, 2023
For the All-Stars, the Celtics had a 32-point lead heading into Tuesday’s championship game as they finally tried to close the gap.
Boston intentionally fouled Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond, a career 47 percent free throw shooter, in an attempt to extend their already huge lead. The move led to a heated confrontation between Bulls coach Billy Donovan and Celtics coach Joe Mazzula (video here ).
Celtics intentionally fouled Andre Drummond with 32-point lead at 7:02 in fourth quarter
Joe Mazzula had to explain to Billy Donovan that they needed to win by 23 points to have any chance of advancing 😂 pic.twitter.com/4rEoWvHfus
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 29, 2023
The in-season tournament has produced some exciting moments so far this season. But it’s not without its problems.